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The legend of Two Lovers Point on Guam

Travel

The legend of Two Lovers Point on Guam

by: Courtesy of Two Lovers Point Park | .

. | .

published: July 03, 2015

Editor’s note: Guam has many ancient sites that are sacred to its native Chamorro people and believed to harbor honored ancestral spirits. Two Lovers Point, a cliff line towering over Tumon Bay in northern Guam, is perhaps the most legendary because of how it earned its name. “The story of Two Lovers takes place at a climactic moment in Chamorro history, when the Spaniards take possession of Guam,” according to the park’s website. “For centuries, the Chamorro people have referred to the devotion of the two lovers as a metaphor for the resilience of their culture.”

Once long ago, in the time when Spain ruled Guam, there was a proud family living in Hagatna, the capital city. The father was a wealthy Spanish aristocrat and the mother was the daughter of a great Chamorro chief. The family owned land and were highly esteemed by all, Chamorro and Spanish alike.

Their daughter was a beautiful girl, admired by all for her honesty, modesty, and perfectly natural charm. Her beauty bestowed the greatest pride and dignity unto her family.

One day, the girl’s father arranged for her to take a powerful Spanish captain as her husband. When the girl discovered this, she was so distraught that she ran from Hagatna all the way to the north of Guam until she found a secluded and peaceful shore.

There, on the moonlit shore, she met and fell in love with a young warrior from a very modest Chamorro family. He was gentle, with a strong build, and had eyes that search for meaning in the stars.

When the girl’s father learned of the two lovers, he grew angry and demanded that she marry the Spanish captain at once. That day at sundown, she stole away to the same high point along the shore, and once again met her Chamorro lover.

Her father, the captain, and all the Spanish soldiers pursued the lovers up to the high cliff above Tumon Bay. The lovers found themselves trapped between the edge of the cliff and the approaching soldiers. All the young warrior could do was to warn them to stay back, and the father ordered the soldiers to halt.

The lovers tied their long black hair into a single knot. And acting as if they were entirely alone, they looked deeply into each other’s eyes and kissed for the final time. Then they leaped over the long, deep cliff into the roaring waters below.

Her father and all who remained rushed to the edge to stare in great anguish.

Since that day, Chamorros have looked to the jutting peak above Tumon Bay with reverence. The two lovers remain a symbol of true love – a love in which two souls are entwined forever in life and in death. Forever after, the high point on the cliff was known as Two Lovers Point.

Two Lovers Point park today

Today, throughout “Puntan Dos Amantes,” or Two Lovers Point, are architectural elements reminiscent of Chamorro styles. A central monument carved in granite and marble uses five languages and a masterful storyboard to depict its legend. Two Lovers Point – for good reason – is also a popular location for weddings.

The site features two tiered lookout points that offer a dramatic view of the Philippine Sea and breathtaking Tumon Bay. From the top, it is a 400-foot drop to the crashing waves below. Visitors can walk the plunging face of the cliff on walkways that hug and hang over the jagged rock. There are also telescopes for long range views of the ocean and Guam’s western coastline. The site is designed for complete safety and handicap access, making it suitable for every kind of visitor and every group size.

Two Lovers Point is open daily 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Park Admission is $3 per person (children 6 and under are free).

Other amenities include:

Souvenirs

Refreshments

KAHA Art Gallery

Picnic area

Pavilions

Restrooms

All-day trolley service from DFS Galleria and Micronesia Mall

For more information, group reservations or weddings, call 671-647-4107.